Violence in literature often has a greater meaning than simply providing entertainment for the reader. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake; the act of violence contributes to a greater meaning of the complete work. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov’s actions in Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is an example of this. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a desperate man, thinks very highly of himself and believes that his greatness gives him …
showed first 75 words of 583 total

showed last 75 words of 583 total
…that feels sympathy for other people's troubles, finds an outlet in the midst of his own struggle to escape detection. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov’s act of violence showed how desperate Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov’s was, almost so much that the violence was necessary. This act of violence contributed to the complete meaning of the work by showing how Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov was torn between the desire to do evil and the desire to do good.